Taking on the Titans
by PandorasBox12
Summary: From the top of Wall Maria an extraordinary mountain range can be seen along the Western Horizon. The view from the wall during the sunset is magnificent and can make the day-to-day problems seem to vanish. But the reality of those mountains is unimaginable and cruel for its inhabitants. [A SYOC story and OCs submissions are now closed 5/20/13]
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

It is the year 845, about one hundred years after the arrival of the Titans and the near extinction of the human race. Humanity has found its haven within the walls of Maria, Rose, and Sina. But that is not the only bastion of humanity. There is one other remote human settlement located within the mountains on the edge of the western horizon.

The underground city within the Nankan Mountains, literally meaning Barrier Mountains, is a home for humans but it is in no way the haven that the humans to their east occupy. The hard life of the underground city has built a hardy and heavily specialized people since the Titans first appeared. Since the city is underground there is no farming or livestock, the population is solely sustained by hunting and foraging. And as to be suspected, there is always a food shortage. This constant food shortage has created a society where only those who contribute to society may eat. The only way to obtain food is to brave the harsh outside world, find the food, and survive the greatest threat known to human existence.

The people of this mountain are required to be productive members either through combat, food gathering/hunting, mining, or smithing. Everyone usually follows in the path of their fathers when it comes to their profession, but at age fifteen everyone must join the "_Pugna Academiae_" (Combat Academy) to learn how to use three-dimensional maneuver gear, bows and swords. The weak die quickly and experience is the only teacher.

Your OCs are thrust into this cruel world, who will survive the three years at the _Pugna Academiae_? Which path will they take: the Fenrir's Legion (Combat), Artemis' Legion (hunting/gathering), Hathor's Legion (Mining), and Vulcan's Legion (Smithing)?

* * *

Name: Alexander Weiss

Age: Prologue [15] 1st Chapter [18]

Birthday: June 3rd

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Family members:

-Father [Phillip]: [Alive] Captain of Fenrir's I Legion

-Mother [Diana]: [Alive] _Pugna Academiae_ Scout

-Eldest Brother [Thomas]: Deceased at age 17 via Titan

-2nd Eldest Brother [Erik]: Deceased at age 15 via Titan

-Younger Sister [Natalie]: [Alive] Prologue: [14]

-Youngest Brother [Arthur]: [Alive] Prologue: [13]

Personality: He is a stoic realist who strictly adheres to the ethics and way of created by the circumstances. He truly believes that the weak have no place in the world and that the strong are what are needed for humanity to survive. He is very willing to leave behind people he considers weak to die, but if they return they will have earned his respect. He's kind to those he respects in his own way; what he does isn't necessarily "nice" but it isn't hostile. Death doesn't affect him as he responds to anyone asking about his older brothers with, "They were weak, and as this world does with the weak, it eliminates them because they aren't worthy of existence. I only hope that I may redeem my family's honor."

History: He was luckily born to parents who were considered very strong by society and as such were well respected and considered elite. He was born as the third child of the family and was never thought of as the prodigy of the family. His eldest brother Thomas projected to be recruited to the Fenrir's Legion's Tactical Assault Unit (TAU for short). But Thomas and Erik both died during their time at _Pugna Academiae_ and respect for his family has dropped drastically because thus far they've been unable to produce children of merit. The way of life that the society he grew up in raised him to be realistic and stoic, but since the loss of his older brothers and respect he's become cold, unnerving, and hostile. During the pre academy weapon training he focused on training with the bow and never offered assistance or tutoring to the other children even though he clearly excelled beyond his age group and helping them may finally increase the survival percentage of the _Pugna Academiae_. Many students knew him, some even looked up to him, but most of them hated him for looking down on them. Before entering the _Pugna Academiae_ he looked at his peers and swore, "I won't let you people weigh me down. I'll not only survive my training, surpass the TAU and reclaim my family's honor."

Appearance:

-Height: 6 foot 3 inches

-Weight: 200 lbs

-Build: Lean/Muscular

-Skin Tone: [Prologue]: Pale [Normal]: Light Bronze Tan

-Eye Color: Ice Blue

-Hair Color: [Prologue]: Silver [Normal]: Silver

-Hair Style/Length: [Prologue]: Short and Spiky [Normal]: Long enough to reach shoulder blades, straight with bangs draping down in front of face but not disturbing his vision.

-Female Characteristics: N/A

Sexuality: [Straight] His brain is looking for a woman who is strong and is a member of society's elite, but his heart is looking for a kind and innocent girl.

Special attribute: [Authority] Commands respect and fear from those around him. Helps him get others to do what he wants but drives people away from him.

Likes: Strength, status, honor, being alone, combat, Titans, fresh air, and resilience.

Dislikes: Weakness, living underground, hiding, teams, people, and the rain

Weapon(s):

[Primary]: Ancient Long Bow

[Secondary]: Single-Edged Curved Infantry Sword

[Equipment]: Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear

Clothes:

[Prologue]: Trainee jacket, tan pants, hiking boots, and white t-shirt

[Normal]: Green short sleeve v-neck, tan pants, black boots, and a Fenrir "Distinguished" Cloak

Nicknames: "Little Titan"

Fighting Styles: He uses his 3DMG to zip around with dangerously high speed and dangerously sharp turns that push his modified rig to the limits of mechanical stability and human anatomy. He uses the bow given to him by his mother to launch anywhere from one to four arrows to pierce Titans' necks to kill them. Like all Fenrir Legion soldiers they use explosive arrows to increase fatality but decreasing range. His swordsmanship is his weak point as he never seems to slash deep enough even though he can easily get to the Titans' weak point.

Reaction to other characters: He looks down on them as weaklings that will eventually lead to his death. So he tends to leave them to fend for themselves when outside. Can see some specks of strength in some of them but doubt they'll develop into something he can respect.

* * *

**OC Form: Submit via primate message**

Name:

Age:

Birthday:

Ethnicity:

Family members:

-Father:

-Mother:

-Brother(s):

-Sister(s):

Personality: Be very descriptive, I have to know how to make them act. The more interesting the character seems, the higher chance I will use them. I understand that suffering builds character but don't make your character's life up to now awful. Either give them some happy and redeeming traits or some way to grow/evolve as a character.

History: Like with personality, be very descriptive. Also, come up with a creative yet believable story of past events that could have relevancy to the universe

Appearance: Height, weight, body build, skin tone, eye color, hair color/length/style, female characteristics (if female, cup size ect…)

Sexuality: Character sexuality and also what type of person they'd be interested in. (I might add romance)

Special attribute: [Only one attribute with an explanation of what it is and how it affects your OC.]

Abilities: (Rated from 0-10. 0 being no talent, 5 being average, and 10 being prodigy. This will just be a basis for characters that will evolve over time. Max points: 100. This allows a for a character that is average, 5s across the board but it isn't recommended)

3DMG-

-Turns/Cuts: Ability to take quick/tight turns.

-Speed: Ability to make use of position/weight to maximize acceleration.

-"Feel"/Balance: Ability to orientate oneself in any or unusual ways to achieve goals.

-Reaction: Ability to respond using 3DMG to scenarios

Offense-

-Swordsmanship: Ability to use a sword(s) to efficiently use stamina and strength when striking. Also has to do with the accuracy strikes.

-Hand-to-hand: Ability to engage other humans.

-Archery: Ability to accurately shoot arrows, shoot multiple arrows, and position/angle at which arrows may be fired

-Strength: Self-explanitory

Defense:

-Agility: Ability to change direction quickly and quick movements.

-Toughness: Ability to take hits and still live

-Willpower: Ability to continue fighting

-Awareness: Ability to sense around you for enemies and allies.

-Stamina: How long movement/combat can be sustained.

Non-Combat-

-Leadership: Ability to rally those around you

-Coordination: Ability to work with others easily

-Field Medicine: Ability to treat wounds

-Hunting/Foraging: Ability to find food.

-Mining: Ability to obtain/identify ores

-Smithing: Ability to craft weapons and equipment

-Recovery: Ability to recover from wounds.

Likes:

Dislikes:

Weapon(s):

Clothes:

Nicknames:

Fighting Styles: Be very descriptive here. Give me a detailed description of your characters fighting style with all weapons they wield and the 3DMG.

Reaction to Alexander: Be descriptive.

* * *

**A/N:** Hello everyone. This will be my first attempt at a fan-fiction and I hope it draws enough of you to submit OCs and read my story. I hope to create a separate adventure to the original story that runs along the same timeline. I tried to add a lot of backstory into the introduction so I hope you will all enjoy it as well as rate & review!

**Please submit all OC(s) by Private Message, thank you!**

ps. I named each legion after a deity related to their specialty.


	2. Selected OCs Final

Hello everyone!

I've finished the first half of the prologue so I figured I'd get this up to hype you up for when I post it later this weekend! (Haha I'm evil making you wait!) But I will post the, so far, accepted OCs. This means that I will continue to accept OCs but they will no longer appear in the prologue!

I hope you will enjoy my story in it's entirety but now here's the cast:

Alexander Weiss - Pandora'sBox12

David Reiss - RicBP

Tristan Valentine - ShadowDude90

Rilana Wayland - ShadowDude90

Nolan Grieller - Death's General

Lilly Grieller - Death's General

Avalon Dedro - ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka

Vera Aslanov - YamadaAC

-Update-

Alice - animefreak114

Adelaide Friedmann - DeviniDecreti

Alan Zimmer - aXis Elric

Again, I hope you will all enjoy the story! Don't forget tot Rate and Review!

P.S.: The Prologue will be posted later today/maybe tomorrow and by prologue I mean Prologue Part A because I planned out the prologue to be so long that I;m posting it in two different sections and I only had time to write the first section this week! Any questions pm me! any suggestions leave a review!


	3. Prologue A: Strength Is All You Need

**Strength Is All One Needs**

"Alexander, you'd better hurry or you'll be late for the sparring sessions. I'll be there with some of the other Scouts, but just because I'm your mother doesn't mean I'll score you better."

Alexander sat at the table with his father and nodded as his Mother walked out the front door for her meeting. His Father sat there as quiet as ever simply eating his breakfast. Alexander liked the silence, it gave him time to think and plan out his training regimen before his day started. Alexander was soon lost in thought, but was quickly snapped back to reality,

"Didn't your mother say you should hurry?"

That stern voice came from his father as he stood up and put on his Fenrir Legion cloak. The cloak was worn and faded but the white wolf insignia was perfect and a sign of strength and position. Alexander used to admire his Father's patch, until he discovered that it was a signification of rank and not strength. Before his Father could speak up again Alexander started to make his way for the training grounds,

"It doesn't really matter if I'm late. No one is going to even touch me."

Alexander mumbled under his breath in an attempt to conceal his thoughts from his Father. He still respected his Father even if he had thought he'd outgrown him. He made his way slowly to the Training Grounds as to avoid doing as much as possible with those "weaklings." On his way there he spotted others hurriedly making their way to the Training Grounds in an attempt to make it on time. He took note of the people he knew. Of those that were late he saw he only took note of David Reiss. David was, a childhood "friend" of Alexander. Alexander's father, Phillip, is the captain of Fenrir's I Legion and since David's father was a lieutenant under the first legion. So their fathers knew each other quite well and spent a lot of time talking and drinking together. This in-turn brought David and him face to face often. Alexander smiled at the thought of tossing David around during today's matches.

Upon arriving, almost half an hour late, he looked around to see that the students were being paired by a list. He looked up to the tower to see his mother, Diana, and the other scouts. His expression had changed,

_Do they think someone is comparable to me?_

And with that thought in his mind he wandered over to the instructors table to see who his first victim would be.

"Hey there Alex! No need to look so angry. If it makes you feel any better we have some new kids from Terra and Koi taking part in these matches. That should give you a challenge."

Derrick Lane, he always thought that everyone was his friend but maybe that's why he was chosen to be the instructor for this training ground. He was a man of average height with short brown hair and like everyone else was looked down upon by Alexander.

Derrick handed him the sheet with his usual overly friendly smile. Alexander snatched the paper from him and looked up at Derrick with utter disappointment.

"Fine, where is he…"

Derrick's usual passionate smile vanished when he noticed how uninterested Alexander was with his opponent.

"You should really make some friends or at least not look down on people. Because one of these days it'll get you hurt."

These words of wisdom spewed out of Derrick's mouth as he pointed over at a young man who looked as if he could be about twenty, but Alexander paid little attention. The attention he did give his opponent was more of an analysis of his physique as he formulated a combat plan in his mind and walked towards the ring and waited his turn. As he sat there he became absorbed in memory,

**xxx**

There sat a man at the kitchen table with dark brown hair and blue eyes about six feet tall. He smiled, as a small Alexander entered the room, and kindly announced:

"Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable."

"What does that mean Thomas?"

"Alex, it means that you cannot take on the future without studying the past and present. I read it in one of the ancient tomes."

"Wow, if you keep studying will you become strong, strong enough to eradicate the Titans?"

"I hope so Alex, I hope so…"

The man's expression had changed from a kind and happy one to a concerned one that was swept away in a stormy sea of thought.

**xxx**

And with that last glimpse of his memory of his eldest brother's face he came back to his senses hearing,

"Match! Alright, next up are David Reiss… and…"

David stepped forward at five feet five inches. His dirty blonde hair was as messy as ever, but who was his opponent?

"… Tristan… Valentine?"

A new face stepped forward. No one recognized him but almost every girl's eyes glazed over as the five-six Adonis ruffled his curly blonde hair and winked in their direction. The girls seemed to be eating it up, but there sat one beautiful brown haired half-oriental girl who just looked at him with disdain. She was obviously displeased with his flirtatiousness. She sat there and tapped her foot impatiently waiting for the match to start.

"Umm Tristan, you're from..?"

"Terra, sir."

"Alright. You two take your places and… BEGIN!"

Based on build it was easy to assume who the winner would be. Tristan was taller and more muscular than David was and he had all the confidence to use his abilities. If bets were being placed the odds were easily five to two in favor of Tristan, but Alexander would've bet against the odds today. He'd fought David more than anyone in Vai and understood his tactics, fighting styles, strengths, weaknesses, and mentality better than anyone. Alexander always chose to fight David for a specific reason. The only unknown variables were Tristan's ability and mentality.

The match started, and as usual with training matches between fifteen year olds it started slowly. David moved constantly; shifting his stance rapidly and encircling his opponent at a rapid pace. At first glance it seems as though David was wasting energy and would wear himself down but his plan is to loosen up his body and raise the tempo of the fight to exhaust his opponent's physical and mental stamina. But it seemed as though Tristan wasn't biting as he maintained a solid stance, unmoving, while keeping his eyes on David. Tristan's fighting stance seemed odd to many as he kept his arms, elbows out and palms facing inward. But Alexander recognized the stance immediately,

_So he's a noble from Terra… This should get interesting._

David quickly noticed Tristan's lack of tempo change and slowed himself down as well. He changed fighting stance but continued to encircle Tristan. The spectators looked on in amazement that neither of them had made a move. Some of the students complained that they weren't doing anything, but the Scouts in the tower were very intrigued by this fight and examined it closely.

_I would normally think he would try to make his move once he got into my blind spot, but there is something different about him. It's almost as if his whole array of tactics and stances have been developed to take down those with more skill than himself…_

As Tristan thought about David's next move David pounced. His leg flew out from Tristan's left side and almost caught him in the face, but Tristan wasn't as lost in thought as David had believed. In a single fluid motion Tristan rotated his arms clockwise, grabbed David's foot and turned his body one hundred and eighty degrees before hurling him over his shoulders. The force of the throw was something no one expected of a fifteen year old as David tried to reorientate himself mid-flight but was unable to as he bounced off the ground. David winced slightly hiding the pain as he quickly hopped to his feet. He attempted this tactic twice more, each ending with the same result. A smirk grew across David's face at the thought of facing someone this strong; that smirk caught Tristan off guard,

_Why is he smiling, I'm obviously going to win. Those counters should've been a clear indicator…_

Tristan reset his stance facing David and focused more intently. David switched his stance yet again but this time he had a solid base as he raised his hands to his face. He slowly approached Tristan from the front keeping his guard up and gently swaying like a breeze through the surface's forests. Whispers could be heard from the crowd as they got closer.

"David's just going to be tossed around again, what is he doing…"

"Why doesn't he just give up? There's no way he could win."

"I even heard this kid's a noble from Terra."

None of this fazed David as he suddenly closed the gap between them with incredible speed. Tristan braced himself and prepared a counter. David shot out a barrage of jabs at the speed that Alexander had never seen before and that Tristan didn't have the speed or agility to counter. Alexander locked this move into his memory as David continued this tactic by backing off then immediately reengaging, leaving no time to regroup. Then finally Tristan grabbed David's arm and pulled him in as a haymaker was brought forward to meet David's jaw. David was sent sprawling back by the massive blow, but he slowly and steadily brought himself to his feet. Alexander had a wry smile as he thought,

_Well, David was never one to give up…_

Both Tristan and David stood holding their faces and panting heavily, but just before they could reengage each other:

"Match! This has been declared a draw. We'll now have an hour break."

The two walked over to each other and shook hands respectfully before falling into each other. They carried each other over to the rest area where they conversed, ate food, and drank water as if nothing had happened and they were new friends getting to know each other.

Alexander on the other hand went to sit in seclusion near the archery range where he stare off into the red dots of the targets. He steadily drank water while running fight simulations in his mind against his opponents. He had observed them on his way to the archery range and quickly formulated a battle strategy. Then he heard some shallow footsteps creeping up behind him. He turned quickly to see a perky little four foot ten girl with brown hair,

"Aww… I can't ever sneak up on you…"

She began to pout and looked up at her older brother with her big blue eyes. He patted her on the head as he began to walk by her,

"You'll never get that satisfaction as long as I'm alive."

He continued walking past her to the ring without looking back. She continued to pout as she followed in his footsteps. The fights continued with Alexander going undefeated as predicted by the scouts and those who trained with him in Vai. But David and Tristan didn't fare so well. Their fight had drained them so when they moved to their next rounds they were both too tired and hurt to win against their opponents, who were matched against for being comparative in strength.

The day was coming to a close as some of the scouts began to meet and compare observations. The local girls, and the girls from Koi, flocked around Tristan as the matches wound down and the guys generally looked over in jealousy. Alexander was about to leave with a sense of self recognition because, as predicted, he was untouchable to his opponents. He got up from the ring and started for the gate with his sister when that half-oriental girl he noticed earlier cut him off. He stayed expressionless as this girl stared into his eyes with an ambitious confident look in her eyes.

"Natalie, go and tell father I'll be returning a little late."

"Bu—"

Was all Natalie started to say as she took notice of the stare down occurring between her brother and that girl. Natalie quickly took off for home in an attempt to make it back in time to see them fight.

"You're Alexander right? Well we were both undefeated so I think we should settle this."

She quickly glanced up at the tower to the Scouts. And in the usual Alexander way he responded,

"If you're looking for glory, you won't find any facing me."

"What? Are you too much of a coward to face me?"

"I'll fight you, but just know that it isn't because you baited me. I merely wish to put you in your place."

This last statement both angered her and pleased her. She walked to the ring thinking,

_Put me in my place? Yeah right, I'll prove myself in front of all these people and the Scouts._

Alexander slowly meandered his way to the other side of the ring and let out a stifled yawn. However they both had serious look of deadly intent in their eyes. They both stood there clad in their trainee jackets. The world seemed to slow down as they prepared to engage each other. On one end stood Alexander, his short and spiky silver hair shone in the light and his icy blue eyes looked directly through his opponent analyzing her thoroughly as she took her stance. Her stance was one rarely seen anymore. It was an almost lost oriental fighting style. Alexander had never seen this type of stance let alone experienced it because it was different than the one she had used during her previous matches. He looked at the smug look on her face and thought,

_Someone is getting a little overconfident…_

He adjusted his stance. He placed his right arm behind his back and partially extended his left arm towards her palm up and rotated his body slightly so that his side would face her. He took a defensive stance not wanting to underestimate her power. As they stood there in their stances people began to gather. The Scouts were in a meeting, discussing the results of the day so they didn't notice that another, unauthorized, match had started.

The girl moved in quickly to strike Alexander but her motions were unusually fluid, almost like water. Alexander searched the depths of thought to think of her possible moves and possible strategies, but alas, he would be forced to defend himself with reaction only. As she got extremely close Alexander kicked high in an attempt to back her off, but using her fluid motions she redirected his kick and drove her palm into his abdomen sending a shockwave throughout his body. Alexander stumbled back from the blow in an attempt to gain some distance,

"I've never seen that fighting style before, what's it called?"

Without giving him a chance to regain himself she fell upon him like a wolf on a wounded sheep landing palm blows repeatedly on his abdomen. When he fell to his back she smiled and finally answered,

"It's called Tai Chi and it's been passed down through my ancestors for centuries."

And as if it were a magic spell Alexander got up without much of a hassle. He smiled and replied,

"Thanks for the information, I won't forget it now."

The air around Alexander changed as he switched his stance. His stance resembled a more refined version of David's first fighting style. He started to move rapidly and his eyes looked as if they had a killer's intent as he watched the half-oriental girl closely. He then began his rapid assault. He flew at her with incredible speed launching flying kicks from all angles leaving almost not time for her to do anything but dodge. Here she displayed her gymnastic abilities as none of Alexander's kicks were able to connect. And on one fateful kick she deflected it downward grabbed Alexander's arm put it into a lock and momentarily stunned him. In this brief moment she drove her elbow deeply into his chest and sent him staggering backwards. She smiled to herself again,

_I'm going to win and prove how strong I am. This next strike will end it!_

She resettled her stance and stayed on the defensive again. Alexander broke his expressionless face as a small smile formed at his lips, completely unseeable by those around.

Both of them were sweating tremendously and by now the crowd had grown quite extensive. The Scouts, noticing too late, could no longer break up the match and instead decided to take notes and observe. Tristan who had just broken away from the pack of admirers made his way to the ring and was astonished by the girl. She was beautiful and had flowing brown hair that dropped down to her chest. This was Tristan's first time seeing an Oriental and he was blown away by her beauty and her fighting prowess. He stood there in awe as Alexander made his next attack.

Alexander drove forward with a display of punches missing the half-oriental girl. She dodged them like before and again she countered by deflecting his blows and putting him in an arm lock. But this time was different, Alexander used full power to break the arm lock and with that there was a loud crack as he used his other arm to sweep her legs before he raised his heel into the air and brought it down to her throat. The force of air being pushed down onto her neck was suffocating. She was utterly defeated and just laid there as Alexander lifted his foot away and turned his back on her,

"If you continue to be this arrogant you'll lose more than a sparring match."

He then started to walk away towards the archery range as an uproar from the crowd exploded. Everyone was chanting, it had been such a great fight; on the level of that above what anyone would expect fifteen year olds to accomplish. Out of the crowd a group of boys ran to her aid, one of them being Tristan who held his hand out and asked,

"Umm… Are you okay?"

"Yeah…"

She pushed his hand aside and got up on her own and looked up at the Scouts in utter disappointment. Before Tristan or the other boys could say another thing she passed by them, obviously upset, and made way for the exit.

Alexander had made his way to the archery range quietly, trying to avoid as many people as he could. When he finally got there he grabbed his limp right arm with his left arm and pulled out and up. With that there was a loud pop and Alexander winced in pain as his shoulder popped back into place. His only regret was not getting the girl's name, but no doubt he'd see her again during the upcoming years. After moving his shoulder around for a minute he picked up a bow and began to split arrows one after another on the target downrange when his mother came to visit him.

"You should really be more friendly with your peers. If you're not who will support you at the _Pugna Academiae _next month?"

Alexander released his last arrow and turned to his mother,

"I can support myself; I'm not nearly as weak as Thomas wa—"

Without even getting the chance to finish his sentence he felt a sharp sting across his face. It hurt more than just a physical pain as his mother said,

"He was your brother, at least show some respect."

Alexander turns his head to his mother and looks into her eyes with an ice cold stare,

"Tell me, would that make me stronger? Will I gain the strength to eradicate the Titans?"

His mother was speechless as Natalie made her way over. Before Natalie could say anything Alexander pushed by both of them and headed for home.

* * *

**A/N: **Hello everyone! that was the Prologue Part A. I hope you enjoyed it, I'm sorry that I had to make slight character modification to make the story flow better. If your character wasn't shown here don't worry, they'll be in there before the end of the prologue (if you sent it to me before yesterday). Remember to Rate and Review! It was fun writing this and I can't believe I made it to 3.4k words! I'm also thinking of doing a little triva thing in each author's note, as in a secret about the story that could be trivia.

Trivia: The protagonist is named Alexander after Alexander the Great and his father is named Phillip after Alexander the Great's father! (The more you know :D )


	4. Prologue B: Pugna Academiae Beginnings

_Pugna Academiae: _Beginnings

**xxx**

"You should really be more friendly with your peers. If you're not who will support you at the _Pugna Academiae _next month?"

"I can support myself; I'm not nearly as weak as Thomas wa—"

"He was your brother, at least show some respect."

"Tell me, would that make me stronger? Will I gain the strength to eradicate the Titans?"

David was standing around the corner as Alexander stormed by. He decided to let him go as he went to approach Mrs. Weiss. Her expression changed upon seeing David approach. She was obviously changing her expression to hide the conflict David overheard.

"Hello there David, you did well today."

Her smile wasn't genuine at all and could be seen through easily.

"Mrs. Weiss, you kno—"

"I know David. Alex looked up to Thomas more than anyone. It just bothers me how cold he's become… David, I'm going to try and get you and Alex on the same squad for the _Pugna Academiae_ so please look after Alex. Don't let him do anything reckless."

"You know I can't promise you anything Mrs. Weiss."

She just smiled at him and started to make her way back towards the Scouts meeting.

_But I'll try my hardest…_

**xxx**

One month later and the town square is filled to the brim with teenagers from all over the mountain range. They've all gathered for the entrance ceremony of the _Pugna Academiae_. The area is well lit by fires and notorite as the Scouts and instructors make their way to the stage and the last of these new trainees filed into the incredibly crowded town square. Whenever the children head for the start of the _Pugna Academiae_ it makes Vai much more active as it also brings parents, trainers, academy scouts, town officials, and nobles.

Alexander's mother stood behind stage discussing the upcoming trainees with other scouts and legion officers. A particular man wearing a cloak marked with a grey wolf towered over her,

"Diana, there's a lot of meat going through the grinder this year."

His face was stern with his words as he remembered his time at the _Pugna Academiae_. Diana turned to the large man and cheerfully answered like the optimist she was known to be,

"Yeah, it's a surprisingly large class but that just means there are bound to be more survivors."

Another man from the group, with almost a dark aura around him, joined the conversation:

"There are nearly nine hundred students this year, but that doesn't mean anymore will survive this year than years before."

His pessimistic comment definitely lowered the atmosphere of the scouts. The tall man finally spoke after a second or two of awkward silence,

"Wow… You really know how to bring everyone down huh, Dom…"

"I'm only being a realist Steven. A higher concentration of people leads to a higher concentration of Titans. But Diana said this year is filled with promising prospects so I could be wrong."

Dominick's response sounded dark and insincere. He obviously didn't believe his own words and only said them to get them off his back. Then an older man came back from the stage and went from group to group,

"Okay, everyone get on stage. The last of the recruits are here. The opening ceremony is about to start."

There are many people in the crowd as the Scouts took their places on stage before them. Some of the Scouts stood off to the side scanning the crowd of teenagers in an effort to ensure that top prospects had made their way to the opening ceremony. As they scanned the mess of people in the plaza Alexander's mother began the opening ceremonies,

"Hello children… This is the dreaded day where you step onto the path to adulthood…"

As her speech continued the small group of Scouts off to the side began to locate the high end prospects and discuss them amongst themselves. The first person that they found stood at the back of the plaza. It was Alexander,

"That's Diana's son isn't it?"

"Ah! Yes, he is very promising he is probably the deadliest bow user in the mountains."

"I doubt he'll make it."

"Why would you say that, Dominick?"

"I heard he has a problem with teamwork. The surface is too dangerous to brave alone."

_Not to mention that he'll probably be killed off by his teammates before the Titans get him…_

After the brief discussion about him concluded they continued to scan the crowd until one of the members noticed Tristan,

"That noble from Terra is here, I expect him to make quite a name for himself."

"Being a noble means nothing to the Titans…"

"Yeah, He's just as vulnerable as the rest of them, but he does have talent."

They ended it on that note and continued to scan the crowd until Dominick noticed an oriental girl standing in the middle of the plaza. An older member of the party when he noticed that Dominick smiled while looking into the crowd of teenagers and inquired,

"Dominick, who are you looking at now?"

"Oh, do you remember that oriental girl that had Diana's son in a pinch a while ago?"

"Ah yes, her name is Rilana… Rilana Wayland if I can remember correctly."

"I think she's going to be the top recruit this year."

"That's quite the prediction; we have at least fifty top prospects this year. We'll have to see"

They continued to find their picked prospects almost like they were already drafting them into units. The list of people they talked about was extensive enough to last the rest of the introduction ceremony that Alexander's mother was finishing up:

"…You will train vigorously for a month before you will undergo _The Trial of Eighty-Eight._ Regardless of your proficiency you will take part in it, so do well to train and ensure your survival. You are dismissed to pick up your equipment from your assigned armories."

With her ending words the plaza became active again as the teenagers tried to meet up with friends and family, ask for directions, or obtain their equipment. Most of the scouts began to get off stage so that they could provide assistance to those that didn't live in Vai. Those that didn't made their way for the taverns to drink a brew and discuss the upcoming class.

* * *

Tristan stood agitated during the speech as he looked around vehemently.

_I know she's here somewhere. She'll be mine before she knows it._

His search was seemingly in vain as he hadn't even caught a glimpse of her and the opening ceremony was over. But he did find someone he recognized. He called out to him over the crowd,

"Hey! David! Over here!"

He waved his hand up and made his way for the dirty blonde kid. David looked over in surprise before he started to make his way to Tristan. When they finally got face to face they wrapped their arms around each other like they were brothers coming back from their _Trial of Eighty-Eight_.

"Hey Tristan, it's been awhile. How have you been?"

"I'm great. Are you still putting up with that Alexander guy?"

"Heh, yeah, I guess you could say that. What have you been up to since last month?"

"You know, the usual for me, drowning in the flocks of women that see my appeal."

Tristan shamelessly bragged about himself and threw out a wink to a group of girls standing off to the side. They giggled and David playfully responded,

"Tristan you flirt, I think we should get our equipment. I'm at Armory Three."

Tristan didn't break eye contact from the group of girls as they continued to look at him and David,

"Ah… yeah. I'm at Armory Three as well."

David just smiled and put Tristan in a head lock as he started to drag him to their destination,

"You sure are hopeless."

* * *

After the speech was over Rilana made her way towards Armory One. She tried to avoid the gawkers; minorities were rare since the Titan's appeared. The traffic was high as she swerved her way south from the middle of the plaza. The first person she ran into, to her dismay, was the silver-haired jackass Alexander. She tried to avoid him hoping he'd forgotten their fight but he turned and saw her anyway.

"Hey, we sparred last month didn't we?"

Rilana tried to pretend that she didn't see him but anyone would recognize his silver hair in a crowd,

"What? Oh is that you Alexander?"

She wasn't enthusiastic about meeting him again and it showed in her voice but Alexander ignored it,

"Yes, I'm Alexander Weiss. What might your name be? I didn't get it last time we met."

Rilana was confused; he wasn't hostile like the first time they met. Through her confusion she answered him,

"Maybe you should pay attention better next time someone kicks your ass, I'm Rilana Wayland."

Her sarcasm didn't affect Alexander in the slightest. He nodded and turned to walk away, before leaving he said,

"Thanks for the information. I won't forget it now."

She thought she remembered him saying those words before as she watched him head south to Armory One. Just as she started to step in the same direction a pair of hands covered her eyes and a cute overly excited voice chirped,

"Guess who Rilana?!"

Rilana could only chuckle because there was no need to guess. She knew who it was immediately and lifted the hands away from her eyes as she turned around,

"Vera, you're lucky I knew it was you or you would've gotten hurt."

Vera stood slightly taller than Rilana with her brown shoulder length hair parted to the left and a mischievous smile,

"Sooo, is that your boyfriend? His silver hair is— "

"Yeah, and we live on the surface. Of course not, that guy is a jerk."

"Alright then."

Vera rolled her eyes and Rilana could tell that Vera didn't believe her. She knew that Vera would bug her about it again. So she decided the best way to resolve the problem was to have them meet.

"You know what Vera? You should just meet him for yourself."

Vera's eyes brightened up at the thought of seeing Rilana's "boyfriend."

"Great, I'm sure he'll be nice."

With that Vera began to pull Rilana toward Armory One with the thought that they were dating.

* * *

Alexander left Rilana in the plaza to obtain his equipment. He was getting looks from people that weren't from Vai since silver hair was very unusual. But he just made his way through the crowd doing his best to ignore them. He finally reached Armory One and it was accentuated by the line of recruits. He walked past the line and into an alley around the corner. There he slipped through the back door of the armory.

After that he cut into the intermittent line of people that checked in at the front desk to receive their equipment. Nobody had seen his clever trick, or so he thought. The person who was supposed to be next saw him and watched silently as he melded into the line of trainees about to gather their equipment. Alexander felt he was being watched and turned to look over his shoulder. Who he saw was a thin black girl that stood a tall as him. He saw her looking at him before she quickly turned away. He glared at her for a couple of seconds without saying a word before looking forward again.

* * *

She could feel his glare burning through her, but once his gaze had been averted she studied him as he picked up his equipment. At the first station, the three-dimensional maneuvering gear station, the man behind the table smiled when the silver-haired boy approached. She watched as they took their time,

"Hey there Alexander"

"Hey..?"

"James, jeez you have horrible memory. Well I have that custom frame for you but I wouldn't modify anything until you get used to using the gear."

She looked on as James smiled and turned to something covered in a tarp. He revealed a set of three-dimensional maneuvering gear that looked like any regular set except it looked like it could be taken apart by hand. James handed it over to Alexander quickly and seemed proud of his work. Alexander didn't thank him; he just nodded as he took his equipment and moved on.

She stepped up and turned her attention to James.

"Hey there miss, what's your name?"

"Umm, I'm Avalon Dedro. I'm from Fay"

He checked his clipboard for a second then grabbed a three-dimensional maneuvering gear off the table and handed it to her with a friendly smile,

"So you're just getting standard equipment."

Avalon quickly averted her eyes and took her equipment from him,

"So umm, what's that guy's deal?"

James quickly looked back up from the table and laughed to himself,

"You mean Alexander? Kid's been a hard ass since his older brothers died."

Avalon quickly felt regret for her preconceptions of Alexander after hearing about his loss but did well to hide it,

"Really..? I guess you can't judge a book by its cover."

On that note she moved on to the next station to avoid continuing the conversation. When she arrived at the next station she didn't see Alexander in the armory anymore. Alexander kind of scared her but she was intrigued by him as well.

* * *

Alexander obtained his equipment as quickly as possible. He didn't want to make contact with anyone else. But just as his luck would be, he found himself confronted by Rilana and Vera outside of Armory One. He didn't see them until it was too late and Rilana blocked his path.

"Hey Alexander, I have someone who wants to meet you."

Alexander looked over at the girl he didn't know and looked her up and down. After inspecting her he brought his cold piercing eyes to hers and stood in silence.

_Why would Rilana want me to meet… her?_

Vera stood there with grin on her face before starting conversation,

"Soo, you're kind of cute. Are you going out with my best friend?"

Alexander's expression didn't change; his ever serious face just looked at her for a second. He started to walk away and just shook his head slightly.

"Don't waste my time Rilana."

Were his goodbye words to the duo, even though it seem like he never even acknowledged Vera's presence.

Rilana looked at Vera's distraught face and began to laugh.

"He didn't even acknowledge a thing I said!"

Rilana stopped laughing and wrapped her arm around her as they made their way into the shrinking line.

"I told you he was a jerk."

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the late post. I suspected I'd post it sooner than this but uh-oh. I ended up rewriting and editing it multiple times before I thought it was presentable. I'm still not impressed with this final product but I feel I must post the what I have to move forward.

And I'm also sorry that the main story will not be starting yet. The prologue will have to be extended to a third part since I was having a hard time transitioning to the next scene without a chapter break. Well thank you guys, and remember to Rate and Review!

P.S.: I've managed to get an artist to help me release pictures with the chapters from the next chapter on, but only if I've recieved something to link into the story.

Trivia: _Pugna Academiae_ means Combat Academy in Latin but it isn't really an academy.


	5. Prologue C: Teamwork?

**Teamwork?**

David stood impatiently outside of Armory Three. He waited for Tristan who had been caught up talking to a girl in the armory. He examined his gear while waiting for Tristan and began to take note of the parts that could be swapped out and areas made available to modification. After a examining his equipment he looked into the armory to see Tristan talking to different girls. David shook his head and yelled out,

"Hey! Tristan! We gonna get going anytime soon?!"

Tristan looked over in slight embarrassment. David could see him finally saying his goodbyes even though the girls were reluctant to let him part. As Tristan trotted over to David he explained,

"David, sorry about that. It's just there was this one hot girl and then more and more showed up. Why didn't you just come over? I could've hooked you up, that red-head looked interested in you when you called me."

David looked at Tristan's sincere face and laughed out loud as he began to walk to the eastern side of town.

"There are more important things than girls Tristan. We have to worry about this _Trial of Eighty-Eight_."

Tristan had a grin on his face as he walked along side David and scouted the women around them,

"Maybe… But where are we going? Didn't we just pass the turn to the barracks?"

David shook his head in disbelief at what Tristan was saying,

"Wow, Tristan. We're going to train at the Training Field. I doubt you know how to use your gear and like Alexander's Mom said we only have a month to train."

David looked over at Tristan to see him shrug as they continued on their way. They continued to walk for a time before they got within sight of the Training Field. As they continued to walk they could already see a number of teenagers trying to figure out how to use their three-dimensional maneuvering gear. They could also see some scouts overlooking the student's valiant efforts. David smiled to himself,

"Heh, I guess we won't be looking like idiots alone."

Tristan threw him a big smile in response,

"I guess not haha."

As they got closer the sound of gas being expended was getting louder, and so were the grunts and moans of those who had injured themselves. The duo was just about to reach the entrance when David noticed Alexander walking further east, away from the Training Field.

_Where is he going?_

David quickened his pace to catch up to Alexander and forced Tristan to suddenly accelerate to keep up. Upon approaching Alexander, he heard them and quickly turned to see who was coming to him. David and Tristan, both lugging their gear, came to a stop in front of Alexander.

Tristan looked at Alexander trying to remember where he'd seen him before. All he could do is vaguely remember him and he could only assume that David actually knew him.

Alexander gave his usual "I'm not interested what?" look when he noticed who approached him. If there was anything that David detested about Alexander it was his lack of emotion and empathy. And so David's response was slightly hostile,

"Where are you going? I figured the one place you'd actually be is the training grounds."

Alexander glanced over at the field of struggling teenagers and yawned. Then he looked back at David,

"I'm going to the Stripped Quarry. It's more of a challenge and I won't be bothered by… idiots."

Tristan was a little shocked to hear Alexander openly bash everyone who was training, himself and David included. He turned to look at David and it was obvious that David had been upset.

"Alex… Don't ever look down on people who are trying their hardest to fight and survive."

Alexander looked deep into David's eyes and could see David's anger. He pointed to the Training Field and, for once, raised his voice.

"Just because they're trying their hardest doesn't mean that they're not weak! I will not let them drag me down like they did Thomas…"

Without waiting for a response Alexander turned away from them and began to make his way east out of Vai. David, still angry at Alexander, turned and headed into the Training Field.

"Let's go Tristan."

Tristan was quiet and just followed David into the Training Field. He didn't really know how to describe what he just witnessed. He was trying to piece the conversation together as he and David made their way into the Training Field and started putting on their three-dimensional maneuvering gear.

* * *

After receiving their equipment Vera accompanied Rilana to the Training Field. They'd been training for a bit, working on balance, when Vera noticed Alexander talking to two other boys. She couldn't make out what they were saying. Then, suddenly, Alexander pointed in their direction and her limbs flailed in a vain attempt to block an imaginary projectile. She lost he focus and balance and ended up tipping over; hitting her head on the ground and retracting her cables.

"Oww… That hurt."

"Hahaha wha- haha. What happened to you Vera?"

Vera opened her eyes slowly as she rubbed the back of her head. She looked over to her left to see Rilana staying balanced even though she was shaking with laughter. Vera couldn't help but feel a little jealous of Rilana's ability but never showed it. Vera brushed herself off and stood up before murmuring,

"Oh, nothing. I just got a little startled and lost my balance."

_He wasn't actually pointing at us, was he?_

Vera looked over at Rilana's slightly concerned face and answered her question before she could ask it.

"Don't worry; I'm fine let's keep going."

Rilana then detached her cables and dropped towards Vera. Vera was slightly confused because they had planned on practicing for a while longer.

"You're done? I thought we were going to practice for a while."

Rilana smiled at Vera and waved for her to follow. Rilana began to walk for the exit with Vera in tow.

"There isn't much room here. I heard there is a more advanced area open to training outside of town."  
Vera was bewildered at Rilana wishing to head to the Stripped Quarry. It was an area with some very open areas without any place to use the 3DMG and some very closed off areas where it was very hard to control movement.

"But we j-"

"No _buts_. We're going!"

* * *

Alexander was at the Stripped Quarry with his three-dimensional maneuvering gear on. He checked his bag to ensure he had extra parts before facing field of stalagmites and stalactites. He took a deep breath as he launched his cables into the mess of rock formations. And suddenly he jerked forward trying his hardest to maintain his balance. He began to weave through the rocky forest. At first he was taking it easy but he continued to push the limits as he became more and more confident. There was little room and he was gaining more and more speed.

He gritted his teeth and winced with pain with every turn he made. His cuts were incredibly sharp and forced him to use all his strength to make them. Then suddenly, he came flying into an opening with the rattling of his gear. Realizing there that he hadn't gained enough speed for his cables to reach anything, he pulled a one-eighty and launched his cables. They found their mark in two granite pillars as he continued to fly out into the open space. But before his gear could bring him back he reached the end of his cable length and there was a sudden snap. He continued flying past his three-dimensional maneuvering gear as it exploded into pieces from his abuse.

Flying out over the rocky opening he reminisced about his first session training with his 3DMG. He thought he'd done pretty well for his first time actually using it. As his body made its way toward the rocky floor he smiled to himself in slight satisfaction.

* * *

Rilana had just reached the Stripped Quarry, with Vera not far behind, and could he gas expulsion within the rock formations. She couldn't wait to see who was training here. She figured it was someone from Fenrir's Legion. But as she and Vera were finishing their equipment check they saw a person come flying out of the rock formation.

_Damn it…_

His silver hair was an easily distinguishing feature. She didn't really want to come face to face with him again. So she turned to enter the rocky forest.

"Oh my god!"

Rilana quickly turned to see what Vera was shocked about. Alexander's three-dimensional maneuvering gear had come apart at the seams when he tried to do a one-eighty. All they could do is look on in shock as Alexander plummeted to the rocky floor. His impact was hard. Rilana and Vera instinctively made a dash to help him as he tumbled for another ten meters.

"Alexander! Are you okay?"

As they came upon Alexander he slowly struggled to his feet. And, for their first time, they saw him smiling. It was a small smile as he looked at his dismembered gear. He was snapped out of his daze when Rilana called out to him again, this time talking slowly.

"Alexander. Are. You. Okay?"

He turned towards them as his smile vanished to see Vera take a slight step behind Rilana. He fixed his posture promptly and answered,

"Yeah, I'm fine. Shouldn't you two be practicing at the Training Field? People like you will only get hurt training here."

Rilana just bit her tongue to prevent her from blurting out what she wanted to say,

"Should you be talking? Don't act like that didn't hurt. Come on Vera; let's leave this asshole to his injuries."

And without waiting for Vera to respond Rilana started heading towards the maze of rocks. Vera looked at Alexander one last time with an almost scared look before following her friend. Their cables were gliding towards the outcroppings. Then gas sprayed from their gear propelling them into the dense rocky section.

* * *

Alexander watched the duo as they disappeared from view before he collapsed. He rolled over to his back and just laid there. His breathing had become quite shallow. He was sore all over and couldn't tell that his shallow breathing was caused by the pain of breathing itself. After half an hour of just lying there he struggled to his feet and wobbled his way to the wreckage of his gear. He could see that the main problem was that the nuts, bolts, and screws had been ripped from their holdings. He picked up the main components and dragged them to his bag. Then he rummaged through his bag to find parts and began to reassemble his 3DMG.

_I'm probably done for today… God, it hurts everywhere…_

After reassembling his gear as best as he could, which only made it look like it could work, he started to head to the barracks. His progress was unbearably slow and by the time he stumbled into the barracks a number of other guys had already been there. Some of them attempted to help him but he just dismissed them. Once he got into his designated bunk he dropped his gear off and grabbed his bath supplies. He hoped that the hot springs would sooth his injuries.

* * *

David and Tristan had finished their training for the day and made a new friend. The three of them made their way to the barracks where they prepared to bathe. Tristan was the last to grab his stuff and heard an impatient, but friendly, call from David.

"Hey Tristan, hurry up. I've got a place that's special, only locals know about it."

Tristan jogged to meet the other two. He had a large bump on his forehead and a grin on his face.

"Alright, alright. Jeez, do you believe this guy Shido? Rushing me like this."

Shido stood at eye level with Tristan and just shook his head before turning to David,

"So, where is this _local_ exclusive place?"

Tristan felt his heart sink a little, the spotlight wasn't on him. But David didn't give him a chance to say a word as he flicked the raised area on Tristan's head. Before Tristan could even say "ouch" David answered,

"Just follow me. We'll probably see some of the other natives there."

David picked up his pace in an attempt to meet up with some of the guys he'd known from Vai. Tristan and Shido were forced to match his pace, especially since they wanted to get to the hot springs. At a brisk walk Shido pulled closer to David,

"So will your childhood friend be there?"

David slowed his pace to more easily converse with Shido. He turned to look at Shido with a slight confused face,

"Yeah, probably. I think you're the only person that's ever wanted to meet him after hearing someone talk about him."

"Well, you guys did admit he was good. I guess I'm just curious about people who are strong."

Shido had a grin on his face. Tristan had caught up and attempted to interject,

"He isn't that good. I could definitely out-maneuver him with my 3DMG."

David and Shido both laughed heartily at this comment; all while looking at the bump on his forehead. Tristan, feeling a little embarrassed, rubbed the bump on his forehead. Finally Shido broke his laughter enough to say,

"How are you going to beat anybody if you can't even maneuver through rocks when there are girls around?"

Tristan took no time to make a comeback. He took the opportunity to do some bragging too.

"It isn't my fault that my devilish good looks attract the ladies. I can't always pay attention to where I'm going and not show them some attention. If anything it's you guys' fault for NOT taking up their attention!"

Shido laughed at his erroneous accusation while David tuned them out. David was paying attention to where they were heading more than the conversation and he finally stopped.

"Alright guys, we're here!"

As they entered the changing area they saw Alexander getting ready to put his clothing on. They stood there shocked at what they saw. Alexander's body was covered in purple and black marks. They could clearly see where his harness had been located as it left the marks of its straps on his torso and legs. The bruising on his arms and torso from the fall were also obvious. Alexander noticed them staring. He knew why they were staring but he still asked coldly,

"What?"

Shido was still shocked with what Alexander's body looked like after just one day of training but was still the first to respond,

"Damn, maybe you should go see a doctor. That looks serious. I bet you broke your gear."

Alexander wasn't in the mood for chit-chat with them. He finished dressing up before replying,

"I only cracked a couple of ribs and dismantled by 3DMG."

His reply showed no concern for his injuries or his gear. David and Tristan not wanting to annoy Alexander further just changed and headed for the hot springs. But Shido was even more intrigued when Alexander used the word "dismantled."

"What do you mean _dismantled_?"

Shido was just waiting for his response but instead Alexander just walked by him; he didn't even look at Shido or answer his question,

"So I guess you're entering Vulcan's Legion…"

Shido was upset that he didn't get an answer, but he decided to let it go. It wasn't worth getting hung up about something as trivial as that. He quickly changed and joined David and Tristan in the hot springs.

* * *

For the next two weeks Vai was alive. With all of the students training the town was active. All of them made progress in their endeavors, but some excelled. Those that excelled were proving themselves to be the top prospects they were scouted to be. But some others, who weren't scouted to be top prospects, were proving to be upsets. They excelled past some of the top prospected students. The Scouts all took notice of the growth of the students. From this they pooled together their notes to assemble teams. After the teams were assembled the students were sorted and sent to different areas where they'd be divided up into their teams.

Alexander stood off to the side to avoid conversation. He was just itching to get out of there and continue his training.

_Why are we meeting here for teams? They're pointless if everyone is just weak._

Then a scout came forward. He was a tall man with stony features.

"Hello everyone. I'm Steven and I'll one of your group's scouts. Now let's get the team assignments done."

Alexander tuned out his surroundings and focused on his breathing. It still hurt to breath from his first day. He snapped back to attention the second he heard his name.

"Alexander Weiss! Assignment: Team Iron, Leader. Lilly Grieller! Assignment: Team Iron. Timothy Caine! Assignment: Team Iron. Julian Tychus! Assignment: Team Iron."

As he heard his teammates names called he looked for them as he walked over to their designated meeting spot. He didn't bother to sit down as he analyzed the members of his team. The first was to come under his scrutiny was Lilly Grieller. She was taller than most girls their age. She had dark skin, tan pants and white shirt. She was a lighter colored African than he'd seen before. But nothing he observed changed his initial reaction to her, she was weak.

His team began to converse and get to know each other while he just stood in silence. He observed the other two, Caine and Tychus. He deemed that if anyone in the group was going to live through the _Trial of Eighty-Eight_ it would be himself and Caine. He'd seen Caine training in the stripped mine and, for once, didn't deem him a weakling on sight.

"Okay, we need to start training together to effectively work as a team. I plan on making it out of this thing alive."

Caine's words resonated with the team as they looked to their team leader for a plan. Alexander just looked at them in disgust. The thought of relying on a team for survival was foreign, and hostile, to Alexander.

"I won't let you people weigh me down! Your life is your own responsibility!"

The team was quiet. They didn't know how to respond to this, and from their team leader to top it off. The only person not disquieted by Alexander's remark was Lilly and she responded by raising her voice,

"Teamwork is what makes humans str-"

She was promptly cut off by Alexander who raised his voice to overpower hers.

"If you aren't strong enough to survive on your own what will you do when you're the last survivor? That is why personal strength is what you need in this world!"

Alexander storms off; leaving the students quiet. Lilly attempted to reply but Alexander was already gone. After that whole fiasco the whole lot of students were talking about Alexander's outburst; not just Lilly, Timothy, and Julian.

* * *

It had been a number of days and Alexander continued to train alone. Not just because he wanted to but people avoided him. Nobody had ever flat out renounced teamwork before. People saw him as a liability and a danger, so they tended to stay away. This suited Alexander just fine as the majority of the recruits wouldn't be able to keep up with him anyways.

Alexander just finished his training session and was taking off his gear when he noticed a rather large, lighter skinned, African man walking towards him. As he finished taking off his gear he realized that he looked familiar. He turned to the man to see what he wanted when suddenly the man grabbed him by the collar.

"You're Weiss right!?"

The man was angry so Alexander simply obliged him emotionlessly.

"Yes, I'm Alexander Weiss."

"Well, my sister is on your team. You're confident that you'll make it, but if you abandon my sister out there I will come for you."

Alexander was amused by the man's threat. He stayed as emotionless as ever in the face of a man that was ready to attack him. He knocked the man's arm away and picked up his gear.

"If she survives it'll be of her own accord. I will do nothing for those who can't do anything for themselves."

The man let Alexander walk away even though he's even angrier. He just looked up to the cavern's ceiling and angrily muttered,

"I don't think I'll ever understand how that bastard can't feel for others…"

* * *

**A/N:** Hey everyone, sorry for being so damn lazy and not working on my story. I've been working and my motivation to write plummeted but I took two days to bust out this chapter for you guys. Again, I'm sorry it took so long. But at least it's a long chapter. I'm also sorry that the prologue, which was supposed to be 2 chapters has evolved into a 4-5 chapter beast. Remember to **review** it helps me write!

**Trivia:** I came up with most of the names for the side characters by using a name generator, haha. (Is that cheating!?)


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